McGill.CA / Science / Department of Physics

Low Temperature Magnetic Force Microscopy

Mark Roseman

McGill

Low Temperature Magnetic Force Microscopy (LTMFM) is ideally suited to the study of superconducting materials. It combines the power of a local probe, able to resolve structures with a lateral resolution less than 100 nm, with an ability to produce real space, three dimensional images of the magnetic structure of materials. These features, coupled with low temperature capabilities, makes LTMFM a powerful and versatile tool with which to study these fascinating materials.

In this talk I will discuss how our custom built low temperature magnetic force microscope has been used to probe various properties of superconducting Nb films. I will present both magnetic force spectroscopy as well as magnetic force imaging data of magnetic vortices, acquired as a function of applied field, height and temperature, which has been used in order to study such features as the critical temperature, the magnetic penetration depth, and vortex pinning potentials on a local scale.

Wednesday, November 28th 2001, 12:30
Ernest Rutherford Physics Building, Boardroom (room 104)